Riker's Starlight
by shannyfish
Summary: The crew of the Enterprise-E take on the only survivor from a ship that just happens to be a small girl who is attached to Commander Riker...


Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek: The Next Generation, Majel Roddenberry and some other people do, but I don't own it.  
  
Summary: A child is found by the Enterprise-E's crew finds a small child and finds something preculiar about her. But will the rest of the crew understand the child's link to Riker or will they send him in for physchological testing?  
  
  
Star Trek: The Next Generation  
"Riker's Starlight"  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
0200 hours, Bridge  
  
The Enterprise-E was on their way to Deep Space Nine for some rest and relaxation. They had been ordered to dock there for one week. Commander William Riker in command, Deanna was suppose to be in command but she had an emergency she had to take care of. He was sitting in the captain's chair. He was tired and bored. The bridge was dim and silent. The bridge crew was young and very quiet. The door behind him whooshed open and Commander Riker stood and turned around to see Counselor Deanna Troi walk in. "Is the emergency over?" William Riker asked.  
  
"Yes, thank you for watching the bridge for me," Deanna told him as he sat back down in the captain's chair and she sat down in what was usually his chair.  
  
"Mind if I keep you company?" he asked her.  
  
"Aren't you tired?" she asked.  
  
"No," he lied.  
  
"Come on, you couldn't have forgotten that I'm half Betaziod..."  
  
"Are you?" he asked smiling and she laughed.  
  
Deanna asked him telepathically.   
  
Will smiled, "I don't think I can anymore."  
  
I think you can...I believe in you...Imzadi  
  
"Fine, I'll try."   
  
  
  
I guess it's like riding a bike  
  
"Sir, we're receiving a signal...a distress signal," the communications officer announced.  
  
"Put it through," Riker said.  
  
"This is Alana Star. We are being attacked. I repeat we are being attacked. We do not have weapoms, please...we need your help!" came the voice of a very frightened woman.   
  
"No visual?" Deanna asked.  
  
"No, ma'am," the communications officer answered.  
  
"Set a course," Will commanded.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
0300 hours, The Morning Star Research Vessel  
  
  
Commander Riker, Lt. Commander Data, Counselor Troi, and Doctor Crusher made up the away team and headed over to the beaten civilian research vessel. They didn't detect any life signs, but Deanna had sensed someone on the ship. Most of the ship was consumed by the vacuum of space, so the team was warned to be careful if they opened any doors. The ship was torn apart inside. There was pieces of the systems all over the deck and sparking from the open conduits. The crew counted four bodies on the way to the bridge, they passed through a corridor that connected to family quarters, and then Deanna stopped. There were two more bodies in the corridor that were also lifeless. "What is it, Deanna?" Riker asked.  
  
"I can feel it, whoever it is they're close," Deanna told him.  
  
"So, we should start searching the quarters?" Will asked and Deanna nodded. "Okay, let's split up."  
  
"Good idea," Beverly agreed. The team split up and started searching quarters.  
  
Will entered one of the nearest quarters to him, inside he found broken glass frames with pictures of a happy family. A woman with blonde hair pulled back with dark blue eyes and a man with medium brown hair and brown eyes and a small girl with dark brown lightly curly hair and dark blue eyes. He also saw a picture of an elderly woman in a Starfleet uniform that had dark brown hair pulled back into a bun and dark blue eyes. Will thought. He looked around and saw the two people in the picture that had the little girl lying dead on the floor. Will looked around and saw a piece of the wall had come down and he went over and checked around it. He heard quiet sobbing coming from underneath the wall fragments. "Hello?" Will said as he tried to pick up the piece of wall. "Hello?" he called again.  
  
"Starlight," came a small voice.  
  
"We're going to get you out." Will tapped his combadge, "Riker to Data. I need you in here to help me move some heavy pieces of wall."  
  
"I'm on my way, sir," Data responded.  
  
"Will?" came the voice of Deanna Troi.  
  
"I think I found a little girl," Will said as he turned to see Deanna and Beverly joining him. Will handed them the two pictures he had picked up and then pointed over to her two dead parents. "Grandmother looks like she's Starfleet."  
  
"Has she said anything?" Beverly asked.  
  
"Starlight."  
  
'Starlight?"  
  
"That's all she's said."  
  
"Commander?" Data asked as he joined the rest of the away team.   
  
"Data we need to lift these off, there's a small girl trapped underneath."  
  
"I can do it, sir," Data said as he lifted up each piece and threw it a few yards away. When Data was finished a little girl was revealed.  
  
"Hello," Will said.  
  
"Hi, I'm Beverly, I'm a doctor...I just want to make sure you're alright," Beverly said approaching the girl, but she got up and quickly limped over to Commander Riker and threw her arms around him.  
  
"Hello," Will said again. He looked down into her deep blue eyes. She was exactly like in the picture except she had some scratches, brusing, and dirt on her. She looked like she was about four years old. "What's your name?"  
  
"Starlight..." the small girl answered.  
  
"Starlight?" Will asked, but didn't argue and picked her up seeing that her left leg looked possibly broken. "Let's head back." Everyone nodded and headed back to the transport site.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
0500 hours, Infirmary  
  
  
The girl that they had started to call Starlight, since that was all she had said, was being examined by Doctor Crusher. She also seemed attached to Commander Riker, she wouldn't let him stray far from her. Data was searching through the Starfleet database for the grandmother since the Morning Star's computer banks had been completely destroyed. "I suggest that she stay with you, Commander," Beverly announced.   
  
"Me?" Will asked surprised.  
  
"She does seem attached to you, Will," Deanna told him.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, until we find relatives she's staying with you," Beverly Crusher told him as she used the dermal regenerator to heal the wounds that Starlight had suffered. "Okay, she's ready to go," Doctor Crusher announced.  
  
"What do I do?" Will Riker asked.  
  
"I'll help you out," Deanna volunteered. Deanna took Starlight's hand, "come on."  
  
Starlight looked over at Will, he took her other hand, "it's alright. Come on, we won't hurt you." Will and Deanna helped Starlight down from the biobed. "Are you hungry or anything?" Will asked, but didn't get a response.  
  
"Will, why don't we get her cleaned up and if she wants anything we can replicate it," Deanna suggested.  
  
"Good idea."  
  
________________________________________________________________________ 


End file.
